In its inaugural year, the Stars of Storrs advanced only to the second round before their run was unexpectedly cut short. The team is seeking revenge as they aim to advance to the round of 16 on Wednesday.
They will put their run on the line as they face the No. 3-seeded Green Mountain Men, a team consisting of former Vermont players.
Elijah Thomas led the way in their 90-78 victory over the seventh-seeded Brown Ballers with 22 points, eight rebounds and one block. He was a complete mismatch in the paint against their first-round opponent.
Ryan Boatright, the team’s captain, scored 19 points, which included the game-winner in the Elam Ending. He knocked down five 3-pointers and shot 6-11 overall. The 2014 NCAA champion dished out five assists and had five steals in the win.
As a team, the Stars of Storrs are shooting 49.2% from the floor, 29.6% from deep and 66.7% from the free-throw line. They had 41 rebounds in their first game and only had 11 turnovers to 13 assists. Defensively, the Stars of Storrs let the Brown Ballers shoot 50.9% from the field and 50% from 3-point territory.
Guards RJ Cole (honeymoon) and Terry Larrier (personal) are out tonight, but a source told me that Cole would join the team on Tuesday with a win.
The Green Mountain Men defeated Rise And Grind in a 66-64 dogfight to advance to the round of 32. Leading the way was former Catamount guard Dylan Penn, who scored 22 points on 9-15 shooting.
Robin Duncan was all over the court as he finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals on 7-9 shooting.
As a team, the Green Mountain Men recorded 32 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and six steals. They shoot 43.9% from the field, 26.9% from downtown and 64.3% from the charity stripe.
Like the Stars of Storrs, the Green Mountain Men looked flawed defensively despite the prior team forcing turnovers. The Green Mountain Men gave up a field goal percentage of 49.1% from the field and were lucky with Rise and Grind shooting 31.6% from deep and 2-6 from the free throw line.
It was reported that the Green Mountain Men would be without Ben Carlson in their second-round matchup. Carlson, a former Utah forward, did not play in the team’s first game.
Whoever wins will face the winner between Boeheim’s Army and We Are D3 on Wednesday night.
Tip-off from the SRC Arena in Syracuse, N.Y., is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be watched on FS2.
Calhoun's Corner 